Toronto Public Health begins suspending more than 10,000 students behind on mandatory vaccinations

Toronto Public Health (TPH) has begun suspending over 10,000 students who are behind on their vaccinations.

Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s Associate Medical Officer of Health, tells CityNews the lower vaccination rates can be easily traced back to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Parents are busy. Maybe they missed it through the pandemic,” said Dr. Dubey. “We know that some families don’t have a family doctor, which is certainly a barrier, but we also know that vaccine confidence has waned.”

CityNews spoke to some local parents and students about Toronto Public Health’s decision.

“I feel like it’s kind of unfair,” a student said on Tuesday. “I mean, everyone deserves an education, even if you don’t have a vaccine, so you don’t get educated?”

“They should leave them alone; they should have a choice,” one parent said.

Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, students must be vaccinated against nine vaccine-preventable diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal disease, pertussis (whooping cough) and varicella, or must have a valid exemption on file. Those who don’t meet the requirements can face up to 20-day suspensions.

The action comes amid a resurgence of measles in the province. Ontario has reported 89 new measles cases over the last week, bringing the province’s case count to 661 since an outbreak began in the fall.

“We’re having our largest measles outbreak in decades in Ontario right now, and measles is one of those vaccines that we make sure students are up to date with,” Dr. Dubey said. “We can see the reason for that because if someone with measles came into a school, it would rapidly spread in that school if we did not have high vaccination rates.”

On Tuesday, more than 170 grade 11 students were suspended at 21 Toronto schools. Suspensions will continue to roll out across Toronto high schools until May, and, in contrast to others, some parents CityNews spoke with think that’s the right decision.

“Everybody should be vaccinated if the vaccination is needed; let it be. Everybody should do it,” another parent said.

Last fall, Toronto Public Health reviewed the vaccination records of nearly 25,000 students born in 2008 and found only 26 per cent were up to date. After sending letters to families, that number rose to 59 per cent by February 2025, leaving around 10,150 students still behind.

Toronto Public Health says students can submit their vaccination records, get vaccinated, or provide a valid exemption. If they meet those guidelines, they can return to school.

With files from The Canadian Press